Trash Pandas historic 2022 season ends with loss to Smokies

The 2022 season for our Rocket City Trash Pandas did not end with a Southern League championship, unfortunately, as the team lost to the Tennessee Smokies Friday night in Game 3 of the Southern League playoffs.

But while the season did not end the way we might have wanted, the team put together an impressive season in its second year here. Let’s look at this historic season:

Trash Pandas come up just short in playoffs

After taking the first of the best-of-three series at Knoxville earlier last week, the Trash Pandas — who had the league’s best home record — lost two straight to the Smokies at Toyota Field, with the season ending on a 3-1 loss.

The Smokies used power pitching to win both games at Toyota Field, allowing just three runs over the two games to win the series two games to one, advancing to the Southern League Championship Series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

What a season!

Despite the loss, the Trash Pandas put together an incredible 2022 season in just the second here in the Rocket City.

Here are some accomplishments the team reached during the season:

• The team finished as first and second half regular season champions with a record of 81-57, ending the regular season with the most home wins in all of Minor League Baseball with 49.
• Their overall record was by far the best in the Southern League, with 1o more wins than Tennessee, who had the second most wins in the league.
• Six players on the Trash Pandas’ 2022 roster were promoted to the major leagues: Livan Soto, Aaron Whitefield, Chase Silseth, David MacKinnon, Michael Stefanic and Ryan Aguilar.
• The team was first in the Southern League in overall pitching and second in fielding.

The Trash Pandas’ 2023 season begins Thursday, April 6, 2023 against the Chattanooga Lookouts at Toyota Field.

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